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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />o <br />',~ <br />c.'J <br />C~ and operatine practices, Cost. of operatine STEP production ponds <br />~J for crop production are estimated. revenue sources identified. and <br />C~ cash flows projected to estimate the value of the STEP process and <br />its potential to attract initial investment dollars in a commercial <br />venture. This information is utilized in developine recom.endations <br />for further work. <br /> <br />Determinants of Perforaance and Cost <br /> <br />The two major contributors <br />pipeline and the primary <br />combination of STEP crop <br />ponds. <br /> <br />to STEP process costs are the tranlmission <br />brine concentrating unit. representine the <br />production ponds and spray evaporation <br /> <br />Pipeline cost is a function of capacity and length. Since capacity, <br />and therefore unit cost, are dictated by the combined flow volume of <br />the Glenwood Springs saline water, unit cost is fixed. Pipeline <br />length is dependent upon the location of a suitable lite. Thus, site <br />location becomes the prime cost determinant of the transmission <br />pipeline. <br /> <br />Cost of the priaary brine concentrating unit is a function of <br />construction and performance. Principal determinants of pond <br />construction are average eround slope, need for substrate fill <br />material, distance requirements for fill transport, and need for <br />liners. <br /> <br />Land slope is the most <br />Average land slope in <br />incremental increases in <br />cost significantly. In <br />allowable average land <br />value drops to 3%. <br /> <br />significant deterainant of pond costs. <br />excess of 4% results in unacceptable <br />cost. Lining of pond bottoms also adds to <br />the case of pozzolan Liners, the aaximum <br />slope is 4%; for polyethylene Liners, this <br /> <br />This analysis suggests that the ideal condition is to locate a site <br />having an average land slope less than 2%, an impermeable soil, near <br />a natural sand-gravel deposit. Proximity to the deposit is the least <br />critical of these requirements. <br /> <br />Assessment of Process Cost-Effectiveness <br /> <br />Table III provides an overall summary of cost sensitivity, <br />identifying the best, worst and reference outcomes for each <br />performance variable analyzed. The reference case cost per ton of <br />salt removed is $42.91. The worst case cost per ton of salt reaoved <br />from the Colorado River by the STEP process is $57.53. about half the <br />lowest cost estimated for any previous process advanced to meet this <br />challen2e. <br /> <br />The STEP process can be installed on between 969 and 1921 contiguous <br />acres. since primary brine concentratine units do not have to be <br />co-located with final evaporation ponds or with the solid salt <br />disposal site. Initial review of the USDA soil surveys of the Rifle <br />area (1985) and Mesa County area (1978) of Colorado indicate that <br />7,300 acres of 1 to 3% slope exist within the Rifle area, and 10,680 <br />E-8 <br />